Chapter 40: 39: "The riotous flowers are gradually blinding one's eyes.
"Going for a big score?"
Chen Miao frowned and shook his head, "You're talking like we're some kind of criminal gang. I'm a good person, you understand? Up to now, I've never broken the law; I don't do illegal things."
"If you're in a desperate situation and need to gamble, don't drag me into it; I'm not at that point yet."
"I'm a law-abiding citizen, a loyal subject of the Federation."
And that was indeed the case.
Since arriving until today, about ten days or so, he really hadn't done anything illegal. He didn't get his hands dirty when Doctor Gou committed murder, nor was it illegal to kill in the secret realm.
At most, he had dined and dashed, but that couldn't be considered breaking the law.
After all, in everyday context, "breaking the law" typically refers to criminal law, which doesn't include dine-and-dash."
"Huh!"
Zhou Yiming took another deep breath and with a serious expression, stared at Chen Miao, enunciating each word, "You're about to face a big trouble. The battle event in Fengtian City will start in 3 days, and you meet the requirements. You'll be forced to participate."
"Didn't I say there was a survivor that day?"
"Although that survivor has been taken care of by me, when we went to collect the body from this person's home, we found a timed email on this person's computer, which was sent to the Envy Organization."
"The content of the email was simple but clear; if Envy's third leader died, it would certainly be at Doctor Gou's hands. Although I don't know why he set such a timed email, by the time we found it, the email had been sent."
"Even though the computer was secretly dealt with, without surprise, the Envy Organization has already received the news and is organizing people in preparation for revenge. In fact, it's already happening; we received information that these past few days, quite a number of people from other forces have entered Fengtian City through various means, which includes people from the Envy Organization."
"Moreover, they've even arranged for some people to lower their level to LV.3, intending to participate in this big event. Obviously, they are planning to assassinate you for revenge during this event."
"If it weren't for this, think about it; leveling up is such a difficult task. With such insignificant rewards from an event for newbies, would they go to the great expense of downgrading some people to LV.3?"
"Clearly, they are targeting you."
"Do you think you can handle the Envy Organization's revenge?"
"..."
Chen Miao kept a poker face and remained silent without speaking. He probably couldn't handle it; although he didn't know much about the Envy Organization, it should be stronger than him—he was certain of that.
But these words made him somewhat skeptical.
To have high-level players reduce their levels multiple times to LV.3 just to assassinate him in a big event?
That's pure nonsense, isn't it?
Is it because Fengtian City limits your abilities, or what? You're seeking revenge but have to do it during the big event? Can't they just face him head-on?
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem to be targeting him.
But then again, maybe these people have just lost their minds. His life experience told him to never take anyone for a fool, but not to assume everyone has intellect either.
He didn't talk much but grabbed Hungry Monkey's arm and glanced at the time on his watch, silently contemplating that the people he had arranged to meet should be almost here; this was the most important matter for him today.
After a pause, he still looked up at Zhou Yiming and said, "Let's hear the details of this job of yours."
"Alright."
Zhou Yiming, clearly anxious about his younger brother's urgent need for money, still forcibly suppressed the irritation in his heart and began to explain as logically as possible, "I've received news that a batch of prohibited items is set to enter Fengtian City tonight. The Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau has been informed and is preparing to encircle and suppress them."
"We can make our move before the Enforcement Bureau acts!"
"And swallow up that entire batch of goods!"
Zhou Yiming didn't wait for Chen Miao to ask questions before he continued, "This batch is all top-grade 'AI Pills', a category of federally-banned items, with a Prohibition Grade of B!"
"You all should know what 'AI Pills' are, right?"
"Ever since their introduction, they've always been very popular. It's a biotech hallucinogenic product. Take one of these pills and you'll quickly fall asleep, and in your dreams, your consciousness will be fully awake. You can freely create your own dreamscape, with an almost one hundred percent realistic feeling, lasting for 8 hours."
"You can do anything you want in your dreams."
"Like becoming a general revered by thousands, or practicing over and over for tomorrow's interview, or even becoming the sole leader of the entire federation, experiencing the feeling of overwhelming power, and so on. Whatever you want, you can accomplish it in your dreams."
"You're the god of your own dreams!"
"..."
Chen Miao's brows furrowed subconsciously. Perhaps it was a memory from a previous life, but the word "hallucinogenic" made him instinctively think of things like ecstasy and other such substances, causing him to reflexively dislike the idea. He wasn't too keen on making money from this.
"Is this stuff highly addictive? Does it ruin people financially once they get a taste?"
"Not at all, 'AI Pills' don't contain any addictive components."
"So, do they cause significant harm to the body?"
"No harm whatsoever; on the contrary, taking them also has an appetizing diuretic effect. However, because the brain lacks actual sleep, a person can end up feeling listless, so it's not really suitable for long-term use."
"So, it's expensive then?"
"Not expensive either. When they were first released, an 'AI Pill' cost just 98 credits, affordable for basically everyone."
"..."
This time, it was Chen Miao's turn to fall silent. No matter how he looked at it, this thing didn't seem like it should be classified as a prohibited substance; it appeared even the harm from betel nuts was greater than this product. No physical harm, no addiction, good effects, and cheap—wasn't this supposed to be some kind of miracle drug?
"Then why is it banned?"
Zhou Yiming sighed somewhat helplessly, "The problem is that the components of the pill are too cheap, and the price too low. Nearly eighty percent of the people who buy these pills don't create dreams about being a general."
"Basically, it's all about colorful chaos that yearns to dazzle the eyes."
"A hundred would be too few."
"A thousand stunning women, one after another walking past, and whatever you want to do with them is just a thought away."
"Yellow, black, white, green, purple."
"Humans rejoice, cats rejoice, sheep rejoice, cows rejoice."
"And victim, you can even satisfy the extremely rare Pikachu Excitement Syndrome with just 98 credits. Do you know of Pikachu Excitement Syndrome?"